Turkish Names for Boys

Alixan

Azerbaijan compound name, Arabic, Turkish

"supreme, exalted + leader, ruler"

Ali̇xan is a cool and contemporary looking name, and a recent addition to the Top 60 in Azerbaijan. It combines the Arabic Ali with the Turkic title, Khan, to give the name the powerful meaning of…

Abi

Hebrew

"father"

Short form of the Biblical name Abiah or Abijah, meaning "my father is God".

Cemal

Cemal is a masculine name of Arabic origin, commonly used in Turkey and throughout the Middle East. Pronounced 'je-MAL' in Turkish, the name means 'beauty' or 'perfection' and is the Turkish form of…

Bayram

Turkish

"festival"

Though Bayram is not well known in the US, it's a name that easily crosses cultures because it sounds exactly like the English name Byram, a variation of Byron. Bayram is the Turkish word for…

Elif

Turkish and Arabic

"first letter in the alphabet, slender"

This is the Turkish form of Alif, the name of the first letter of the Arabic alphabet. Actor Natalie Portman gave another spelling to her son, Aleph. Elif can also mean "slender", from the Turkish…

Devrim

Turkish

"revolution"

This unusual, in the US at least, Turkish name has an attractive sound and a modern meaning. We can imagine it becoming much more widely known and used, the way the Irish Declan has over the past…

Ada

Turkish, Idoma

Used predominantly (and in many countries, nearly exclusively) as a feminine name, Ada is a unisex choice in Turkey, where it comes from the Turkish word for "island". In Nigeria, it is also used as…

Altin

Albanian, Turkish

"gold"

Derived from an Old Turkic word, altın , this is a metallic and shiny name with a solid feel. Rare but recognizable, it could work across multiple languages and has the appealing meaning of "gold".…

Tamerlaine

Turkic, Mongol

"iron"

Although Tamerlaine, especially with the addition of an i, feels more feminine than masculine these days and is occasionally used for girls, the original Tamerlane was a fierce Mongol warrior.

Elvan

Turkish, Cornish

"colors; light; spark"

A multicultural choice with a mystical feel, Elvan is both a Turkish name meaning "colors" (or sometimes "colorful hands"), and a Cornish name, likely derived from Elwen and Elouan to mean "light".…

Norazlan

Malay, Arabic, Turkish

"lion of light"

A Malay compound name, blending Turkic Aslan with the popular Arabic Nur, this name may be interpreted to mean "lion of light". Also written as Nurazlan and Nor Azlan, it has a bright and powerful…

Zeka

Diminutive of Zechariah or similar, variation of Zeki, Hebrew, Albanian, Turkish

"He has remembered; clever, intelligent"

A multicultural choice that can be used as a nickname, a given name, and a surname, Zeka might appeal to those who enjoy names such as Sacha, Mika, and Luka, and to those who like Hezekiah and…

Veli

Turkish, Albanian, Arabic, Finnish

"helper, protector, friend; brother"

A multicultural choice with a sound as friendly as both its meaning, Veli has its roots in Turkish, Arabic, Albanian. and Finnish. As a Turkish and Albanian name, Veli is a form of the Arabic Wali,…

Belen

Spanish place name and form of Bethlehem, Hebrew, Turkish

"house of bread; mountainside"

Typically used as a feminine name, Belen is a multicultural option, referring to a mountainside in Turkish and to Bethelehem in Spanish. Also spelled as Belén, it appeared in the US Top 700 for girls…

Evliya

Turkish

"saint, mahatma, guardian"

Ultimately derived from the Arabic awliya , Evliya is a Turkish name from the Ottoman period, that may be interpreted to mean "saint", "mahatma", "guardian", or "holy person". It is most notably…

Alisher

Persian; Turkish; Kazakh; Uzbek

"lofty, sublime + lion; brave prince"

A name of Persian, Turkish, Kazakh, and Uzbek origin, Alisher can be considered a compound name, blending the popular Arabic name Ali with the Persian shir meaning "sublime lion", or a purely Persian…

İlkay

Turkish

"new moon"

İlkay is a charming Turkish name with a poetic meaning, blending the popular element ay with İlk , meaning "moon" and "first" respectively. Unisex in Turkey, it could be an intriguing way to get to…

Ilkay

Anglicized variation of İlkay, Turkish

"new moon"

Traditionally spelled as İlkay, this Turkish name has the poetic meaning of "new moon" or "first moon", and the cool -kye end sound. Given to around 20 boys in the US since 2020, it is a unisex name…

Hayati

Turkish

"vital"

Derived from the Arabic ḥayāh meaning "life", Hayati is used as a masculine name in Turkey, literally translating to "vital, essential, live, staminal". As such, it is a name with strength and…